Police officials said 28 people have been arrested in the operation and 21 were convicted. (Source: WSB, COX, CNN)

January 31, 2019 at 4:10 PM CST - Updated January 31 at 6:10 PM

ATLANTA (WSB/CNN) - More than two dozen arrests were made in a multi-agency operation targeting counterfeit Super Bowl tickets and merchandise.

US Immigration and Border officials said nearly 300,000 items worth an estimated $24 million has been seized as part of an effort called 'operation team player.'

That's almost $10 million more than last year's seizure.

Officials say hundreds more have been snagged recently in Atlanta.

Criminal counterfeiting and piracy are serious crimes. When fans spend hard-earned money on tickets and merchandise, they deserve the real deal. Thank you @FBIPhiladelphia, and all our law enforcement partners, for your tireless work in these cases. https://t.co/EUlOSxtEaE@NFL

In a joint press conference Thursday, officials warned sports fans to be extra cautious of any scams.

"When you are buying tickets, you must consider the source. The safest route is always to purchase from an approved source. Many fans believe that if they are not purchasing tickets, for example, from a scalper on the street, that they are safe, that it's okay to buy tickets on a third-party website because the sellers can be tracked and traced. I'm here to tell you that is not always the case. A majority of counterfeit sales happen not on the street, but actually happen through the internet," Bill McSwain U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said.

In a joint press conference Thursday, officials warned sports fans to be extra cautious of any scams.Source: WSB, COX, CNN)

Police officials said 28 people have been arrested in the operation and 21 were convicted.